We must build on World Cup legacy, says McCay
IRELAND’S most-capped sportswoman Shirley McCay insists the World Cup has produced a positive legacy, but the Pegasus defender says it’s important to continue to build on the momentum.
Coinciding with the national team’s silver medal achievement in London back in August, women from a wide variety of sports have got together to launch a new campaign entitled 20x20.
It’s designed to fulfil a threepronged aim, namely to increase media coverage, spectator numbers and participation levels by 20% by 2020, hence the title.
McCay, capped 273 times by Ireland, represented hockey at the launch held at Windsor Park.
She said: “There has been fan- tastic support since we came home from London, just to see clubs having waiting lists at youth level and even adults getting back into the game is fantastic, and we have been able to go out to schools and clubs and let them be part of it as well.
“It’s probably early days to tell about the precise numbers, but I think from my original club in Omagh we have more juniors signed up than ever before, so I think now it is all just about building on that for the future.”
McCay says that, while the momentum which followed the World Cup success has filtered down to clubs, it’s important that they do more to promote themselves and the sport in general.
She said: “More so than ever before we have given them a success story, but we’re just not representing one or two clubs, we are representing Ulster, and it’s really important that those clubs take advantage of this and really grow from there.
“I think at club level we are still falling a wee bit behind in promoting hockey and I don’t know if we get as many people coming to watch the matches as we could.
“Whether that’s because of the time of day when everyone else has their own hockey or their own sports to be involved in, I’m not sure, but stories like the summer can only help, and we have a long way to go but we are making strides.
“We played a Sunday game three weeks ago against Loreto and the sideline was lined with kids and adults.
“I think that is maybe something to look towards, so we don’t always play games on a Saturday at 3pm when the football and other sports are on and everyone is busy.”
Meanwhile, Pegasus start their Ulster Shield campaign away to Queen’s tonight and on Saturday are among the seven Ulster sides in Irish Senior Cup action.
They will be expected to beat Trinity, while one local side is guaranteed a quarter-final place with Ards hosting Belfast Harlequins.
Ballymoney have a tough home tie against Loreto, while the other Premier League sides are also up against top-flight opposition with Lurgan and Ulster Elks away to UCD and Railway Union respectively, and Banbridge travelling to Cork Harlequins. Big initiative: Shirley McCay is spearheading 20x20 scheme